Lazy Reviewers

So the other day I was reading a review of Wilco's Kicking Television and the reviewer was talking about how Wilco had gone through several different incarnations. True enough. But then he referred to the band during the Summerteeth period as being "Beach Boys knock-offs" or something like that. And here's the thing - using harmonies does not make a band like the Beach Boys. But you would never know it by reading music reviews. Every band that harmonizes is compared to the Beach Boys (melodic songs earns you a Beatles comparison, literate singer-songwriters are hailed as Dylan).

Anyway, I realize that writing music reviews is difficult - as Elvis Costello (among others) said "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." But still, be a little original. Try to write without constant comparisons to other bands, because no two bands truly sound alike. Or at least admit that a band is a mixture of different elements from different influences. And try to avoid comparisons to the biggest acts in history. Wilco never sounded like the Beach Boys. Elliott Smith never sounded like the Beatles. Conor Oberst is not the next Dylan (subscription required).